Handheld electronic device with assisted text entry using existing message thread, and associated method

ABSTRACT

A method of facilitating the entry of text into a new message generated by a messaging application of a handheld electronic device is provided that includes receiving a command to reply to or forward a received message that is included within a message thread, scanning the message thread, identifying a plurality of words in the message thread, generating one or more word lists that include the identified words, and displaying the one or more word lists. The method further includes receiving a selection of a selected one of the words from the one or more word lists, and entering the selected one of the words into the new message. Also provided is an improved handheld electronic device that implements the described method.

This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 12/830,888, filed Jul. 6,2010, which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 11/423,986, issuedas U.S. Pat. No. 7,778,957, filed Jun. 14, 2006, all of which areincorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

The concept disclosed herein relates generally to handheld electronicdevices and, more particularly, to a handheld electronic device thatprovides assisted entry of text based upon an existing message thread.

2. Description of the Related Art

Numerous types of handheld electronic devices are known. Examples ofsuch handheld electronic devices include, for instance, personal dataassistants (PDAs), handheld computers, two-way pagers, cellulartelephones and the like. Many handheld electronic devices also feature awireless or other communication capability, although other handheldelectronic devices are stand-alone devices that are functional withoutcommunication with other devices. Such handheld electronic devices aregenerally intended to be portable, and thus are of a relatively compactconfiguration in which keys and other structures often perform multiplefunctions under certain circumstances or may otherwise have multipleaspects or features assigned thereto. With advances in technology,handheld electronic devices are built to have progressively smaller formfactors yet have progressively greater numbers of applications andfeatures resident thereon. As a practical matter, the keys of a keypadcan only be reduced to a certain small size before the keys becomerelatively unusable.

In language entry applications, such as in an email or other messagingapplication, a keypad must be capable of generating substantially all ofthe elements desirable or necessary to form the relevant language. Forexample, in a language that employs Roman letters, a keypad must becapable of generating substantially all twenty-six of the Roman letters.In order to provide such functionality with relatively few keys, somekeypads have included multiple linguistic elements per key, such asproviding a plurality of Roman letters on each of at least some of thekeys when the keypad is used to generate a language that employs Romanletters.

In order to make use of the multiple linguistic elements on any givenkey, numerous keystroke interpretation systems have been provided. Forinstance, a “multi-tap system” allows a user to substantiallyunambiguously specify a particular linguistic element, for example, on akey by pressing the same key a number of times equal to the position ofthe desired linguistic element on the key. Another keystrokeinterpretation system includes key chording in which keys are pressed invarious combinations to achieve particular results. Still anotherkeystroke interpretation system might include a disambiguation routinewhich seeks to interpret the keystrokes in view of stored dictionarydata, linguistic rules, stored algorithms, and/or the like.

When replying to a previously received message (which may be part of alarger message thread), a user of a handheld electronic device may oftenwant to enter words that appear in the previous message thread. Incurrent handheld electronic devices, users are required to simply typethe desired words using the keyboard provided with the handheldelectronic device. As will be appreciated, this text entry can at timesbe cumbersome, especially when lengthy or unfamiliar words are beingentered. This is especially true for handled electronic devices havingreduced keyboards and employing a keystroke interpretation system asdescribed above because in some keystroke interpretation systems, a usermust expend substantial effort in entering language. It thus would bedesirable to provide a handheld electronic device, such as a devicehaving a reduced keyboard, wherein the device might make available to auser for simplified entry words form an existing message thread that theuser might reasonably be expected to enter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A full understanding of the invention can be gained from the followingDescription of the Preferred Embodiments when read in conjunction withthe accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of an embodiment of an improvedhandheld electronic device in accordance with the concept disclosedherein;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the handheld electronic device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a first exemplary output on the handheld electronic device ofFIG. 1 showing a number of messages received thereby;

FIG. 4 is flowchart illustrating a method of facilitating the input oftext into a new message according to an embodiment of the conceptdisclosed herein;

FIG. 5 is an exemplary output on the handheld electronic device of FIG.1 in accordance with an aspect of the concept disclosed; and

FIG. 6 is another exemplary output on the handheld electronic device ofFIG. 1 in accordance with an aspect of the concept disclosed n;

FIG. 7 is still another exemplary output on the handheld electronicdevice of FIG. 1 in accordance with an aspect of the concept disclosed;and

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a method of implementing a most frequentlyused words list in accordance with a further aspect of the conceptdisclosed herein

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the specification.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

A method of facilitating the entry of text into a new message generatedby a messaging application of a handheld electronic device is providedthat makes it easier for a user of the device to enter words from anexisting message thread to which the user is responding. The methodincludes receiving a command to reply to or forward a received messagethat is included within a message thread, and scanning the messagethread and identifying a plurality of words in the message thread. Themethod further includes generating one or more word lists that includethe identified words, and displaying the one or more word lists.Finally, the method includes receiving a selection of a selected one ofthe words from the one or more word lists, and entering the selected oneof the words into the new message. In one particular embodiment, each ofthe word lists represents a word category, and the generating stepincludes categorizing each of the identified words and placing each ofthe categorized words in one or more of the word lists based on how theword is categorized. For example, a first one of the word lists mayrepresent a word category including words having at least apredetermined length, and the placing step may include placing all ofthe identified words having at least the predetermined length on thefirst one of the word lists. Alternatively, a plurality of the wordlists may each represent a word category including words having aparticular grammatical classification, such as noun or verb, and theplacing step may include placing each of one or more of the identifiedwords on an appropriate one of the plurality of word lists based on thegrammatical classification of each word.

Also, the said scanning and generating steps may be performedautomatically in response to receiving the command to reply to orforward a received message, such as a special “reply with word list” or“forward with word list” command selected from, for example, a menuprovided on the handheld electronic device. Alternatively, the scanning,generating and displaying steps may be performed only after receiving acommand form the user indicating a desire to have the word listsdisplayed so that the user can make selections therefrom.

In still a further alternative embodiment, the method further includesstoring the one or more word lists, either on the handheld electronicdevice or on a separate device (e.g., PC) for archival purposes, anddisplaying the stored word lists when a subsequent message is generatedusing said handheld electronic device. For example, the word lists maybe stored in association with the party that sent the originallyreceived message, and the subsequent message in that case may be amessage intended for that sender.

In another embodiment, a method of facilitating the entry of text into anew message generated by a messaging application of a handheldelectronic device is provided that includes receiving a command togenerate the new message, displaying a most frequently used words listthat includes a predetermined number of words that have been determinedto have been used most frequently by a user of the handheld electronicdevice in creating messages, receiving one or more word selections fromthe list, entering the selected into the new message, receiving manualinput of text and entering the text into the new message, and updatingthe most frequently used words list based on the contents of the newmessage following the entering steps.

An improved handheld electronic device is also provided that includes aninput apparatus, an output apparatus, and a processor apparatusincluding a processor and a memory. The memory has a messagingapplication executable by the processor that includes one or moreroutines adapted to implement the various embodiments of the methoddescribed herein.

An embodiment of an improved handheld electronic device 4 in accordancewith the disclosed concept is indicated generally in FIGS. 1 and 2. Thehandheld electronic device 4 includes a case 8, an input apparatus 12,an output apparatus 16, and a processor apparatus 20. The presentexemplary embodiment of the handheld electronic device 4 includesapplications and/or routines resident thereon such as, for example, andwithout limitation, a disambiguation routine and an e-mail client,although other and/or additional applications and/or routines, such asvarious messaging applications (e.g., without limitation, SMS or MMS)can be provided without departing from the concept disclosed herein.

Referring to FIG. 1, the input apparatus includes a keypad 24 thatincludes a plurality of keys 28. The input apparatus 12 additionallyincludes a track wheel 32 for additional input. Many of the keys 28 haveone or more letters assigned thereto, and some of the keys 28 have aplurality of letters assigned thereto. In the present exemplaryembodiment, the exemplary letters are Roman letters, and the exemplaryRoman letters serve as linguistic elements for language entry into thehandheld electronic device 4. It is understood that while the linguisticelements of the instant exemplary embodiment are depicted as beingcharacters, specifically Roman letters, the linguistic elements could beother elements such as, for example and without limitation, other typesof characters, ideograms, portions of ideograms such as strokes, andother elements that can be used in the generation of language. Theexpressions “text” and “word”, and variations thereof, are to be broadlyconstrued herein and are not intended to be limiting in any fashion withregard to a particular language, a particular portion of a language or ameans of providing an expression in a language, or to a particularlanguage type or format.

The output apparatus 16 in the present exemplary embodiment includes adisplay 36. The output apparatus 16 may additionally include otheroutput devices such as lights, speakers, and other output deviceswithout limitation.

As can be seen in FIG. 2, the processor apparatus 20 includes aprocessor which may be, for instance and without limitation, amicroprocessor (μP) 40 and which is responsive to inputs from the inputapparatus 12 and provides output signals to the output apparatus 16. Theprocessor apparatus 20 additionally includes a memory 44 with which themicroprocessor 40 interfaces. The memory 44 can be any of a variety ofstorage devices such as, for example and without limitation, RAM, ROM,EPROM, EEPROM, and/or other devices. In the exemplary embodiment, thememory 44 stores a number of routines executable by the microprocessor40, such as, without limitation, a disambiguation routine as describedelsewhere herein.

Although many uses for the disclosed concept will be apparent, oneexemplary use is presented herein as being in the context of electronicmail, in which case the memory 44 will also store an email client (oneor more software routines) executable by the microprocessor 40. As canbe seen in FIG. 3, for example, a number of existing messages 52 areavailable on the handheld electronic device 4. That is, the messages 52may either be stored directly on the handheld electronic device 4 or maybe downloadable on demand, for example. The exemplary messages 52 inFIG. 3 each include, for instance, a sender 56 and a subject 60 forreference by the user.

In a situation where, for example, a user enters a replying orforwarding command with respect to one of the messages 52, the user maywish to enter certain words that were included in the message thread ofwhich the message 52 is part (note, message 52 may be the only messagein the thread, or, alternatively, one or more additional messages may beincluded in the message thread). The concept disclosed herein provides amethod that may be implemented on the handheld electronic device 4 (oranother device) in which a user is provided with assisted entry of textwhen replying to or forwarding an email message 52 based on the wordsthat are included in the message thread that includes the email message52.

Referring to FIG. 4, the method begins at step 100, wherein the userenters and the processor apparatus 20 of the handheld electronic device4 receives, in a known manner such as through a menu selection, acommand to reply to or forward an email message 52, such as the emailmessage 52 shown in FIG. 5. As seen in FIG. 5, the email message 52includes a sender 56, a subject 60 and a message body 62. Although notshown in FIG. 5, it should be appreciated that email message 52 may bepart of a message thread that includes more than just one message (i.e.,more than just the email message 52), in which case information from theother emails in the message thread will typically follow the messagebody 62 shown in FIG. 5. Next, at step 105, the processor apparatus 20scans the message thread that includes the email message 52 and createsone or more word lists from the words contained in the message thread.The word lists typically comprise one or more categories into which theidentified words may be classified. As will be appreciated, this may bedone in any number of ways. For example, in one embodiment, theprocessor apparatus 20 first scans the message thread and identifies allwords having more than a predetermined number of characters, such asthree characters. The processor apparatus 20 then classifies eachidentified word (having more than three characters) according to whetherthe word is a noun or a verb (or some other grammatical classification),and then as to whether the word exceeds a predetermined length, e.g.,six characters. In this embodiment, it will be appreciated that aparticular word may appear on more than one list (a seven character longverb will appear on two lists, the “verb” list and the “long words”list). In addition, in order to classify an identified word as a noun orverb (or some other grammatical classification), the word may becompared to dictionary information, for example in the form of a look-uptable, stored in the memory 44. In an alternate embodiment, a singleword list is created consisting of words that exceed a predeterminedlength, such as six characters. As will be appreciated by those skilledin the art, many other alternatives are also possible without departingfrom the scope of the disclosed concept.

Next, at step 110, a new email message (a reply or forward message) iscreated and the one or more lists created in step 105 are displayed tothe user on the display 36 in connection with the new email message. Forexample, FIG. 6 shows such a new email message 64 in which the one ormore lists created in step 105 are displayed in a word list window 66provided on the display 36. FIG. 6 shows the embodiment wherein theidentified words are classified as noun or verb and based on exceeding acertain length. It should be understood that this is meant to beexemplary only, and that other embodiments are also possible. As alsoseen in FIG. 6, the new email message 64 includes a message body 68 inwhich a user may enter text in a conventional manner using the inputapparatus 12. As will be appreciated, this text entry may be facilitatedusing the disambiguation system (or some other keystroke interpretationsystem) implemented by the handheld electronic device 4. According to anaspect of the disclosed concept, the one or more lists created in step105 are displayed in a manner that enables the user to select one of thewords listed in the one or more lists using the input apparatus 12 andhave that word be entered in the message body 68 at the location of thecursor 70. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, a user may select a wordfrom the “Nouns” list by simultaneously pressing the ALT key 72 (FIG. 1)and the appropriate number that identifies the desired word. Similarly,a user may select a word from the “Verbs” list by simultaneouslypressing the SHIFT key 74 (FIG. 1) and the appropriate number thatidentifies the desired word, or a word from the “Long” list bysimultaneously pressing the Function key 76 (designated with thecharacters “SYM” in FIG. 1) and the appropriate number that identifiesthe desired word.

Referring again to FIG. 4, following step 110, the method proceeds tostep 115, wherein a determination is made as to whether the user,through the input apparatus 12, has selected a word from one of the oneor more lists displayed in step 110 in the word list window 66. If theanswer at step 115 is yes, then, at step 120, the selected word isentered in the message body 68 at the location of the cursor 70. FIG. 7shows the new email message 64 after the user has caused the word“jerseys” to be entered in the message body 68 by pressing “Function-4”on the input apparatus 12. Following step 120, the method proceeds tostep 125, where a determination is made as to whether the user has inputa send message command or another exit command. If the answer at step125 is yes, then, at step 130, the command is executed. If, however, theanswer at step 125 is no, then the method returns to step 115 forfurther processing as described herein. As seen in FIG. 15, if theanswer at step 115 is no, then the method proceeds to step 125 andprocessing proceeds as described above.

Thus, the method shown in FIG. 4 enables the user of the handheldelectronic device 4 to more easily enter text when responding to orforwarding an email message, such as an email message 52, by providingfor the selection and entry of words derived from the message threadthat includes the message being replied to or forwarded. Various mannersof initiating the method shown in FIG. 4 during use of the handheldelectronic device 4 are possible. In one embodiment, the method shown inFIG. 4 is automatically initiated whenever a user replies to or forwardsan email message. In another embodiment, the method shown in FIG. 4 isinitiated only when a user replies to or forwards an email message usinga special reply or forward command, such as a “reply with word list” or“forward with word list” command selected from a menu in a known manner.In still another embodiment, the method may be initiated in the middleof replying to or forwarding an email message by making a particularmenu selection, such as a “display word list” menu selection, in a knownmanner or by otherwise entering a predetermined command using the inputapparatus, such as by pressing a particular combination of keys 26. Insuch a case, after the menu selection or command, the word listsdescribed herein may be created and the word list window 66 may bedisplayed on the display 36.

In an alternative embodiment, the one or more lists created in step 105are saved in the memory 44 in connection with the sender 56 (i.e., thesender of the message 52 in the message thread on which the one or morewords lists were based). When the user of the handheld electronic device4 sends another message to that same user at some later time, the one ormore word lists that were saved in the memory 44 may be made availableto the user in a word list window 66 so that the user can select one ormore words therefrom in the manner described elsewhere herein forinclusion in the text of the message being created. As a furtheralternative, the one or more words lists may be backed up/saved onanother electronic device, such as a separate PC, for archivingpurposes. The archived word lists may later be accessed for use asdescribed herein.

In a further embodiment, the processor apparatus 20 is adapted togenerate, store and maintain/update a list of a predetermined number ofwords that have been determined to have been used most frequently by theuser of the handheld electronic device in creating email messages over apredetermined period of time (a so called “My Wordlist” feature). Thepredetermined number of words may be any number, such as a reasonablymanageable number like fifteen or twenty words. Preferably, although notnecessarily, the words that are considered for inclusion on the mostfrequently used words list may be limited to only those words having atleast a predetermined number of characters, such as four or morecharacters. In addition, the predetermined period of time may be anyperiod, such as, without limitation, a period beginning at theinitiation of use of the handheld electronic device 4 by the user andextending to the present or a period beginning at a list reset time (setby the user) and extending to the present.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a method of implementing a most frequentlyused words list as described above on the handheld electronic device 4according to one embodiment. The method begins at step 200, wherein theuser enters and the processor apparatus 20 of the handheld electronicdevice 4 receives, in a known manner such as through a menu selection, acommand to generate a new email message. Next, at step 205, a new emailmessage is created and the most frequently used words list stored by theprocessor apparatus 20, and in particular the memory 44, is displayed tothe user on the display 36 (e.g., in a window similar to word listwindow 66) in connection with the new email message. According to anaspect of the disclosed concept, the most frequently used words list isdisplayed in a manner that enables the user to select one of the wordslisted therein using the input apparatus 12 and have that word beentered in the message body of the new email message. For example, thewords on the most frequently used words list may be numberedsequentially, and a user may select a word from the most frequently usedwords list by simultaneously pressing a predetermined key 26, such asthe ALT key 72 or the SHIFT key 74 (FIG. 1), and the number thatidentifies the desired word. The words on the most frequently used wordslist may also be categorized as described elsewhere herein (e.g., nouns,verbs, long), and may be selected from the appropriate category in themanner described elsewhere herein.

Following step 205, the method proceeds to step 210, wherein adetermination is made as to whether the user, through the inputapparatus 12, has selected a word from the most frequently used wordslist. If the answer at step 210 is yes, then, at step 215, the selectedword is entered in the message body of the new email message at thelocation of the cursor therein. Following step 215, or if the answer atstep 210 is no, the method proceeds to step 220 where a determination ismade as to whether the user has manipulated the input apparatus 12 toinput text manually. If the answer is yes, then, at step 225, themanually input text is entered in the message body of the new emailmessage at the location of the cursor therein.

Following step 225, or if the answer at step 220 is no, the methodproceeds to step 230, where a determination is made as to whether theuser has input a send message command or another exit command. If theanswer at step 230 is no, then the method returns to step 210 forfurther processing. However, if the answer at step 230 is yes, then, atstep 235, the command is executed. Next, at step 240, the mostfrequently used words list is updated based on the contents of the newemail message just generated, and preferably only if the email isactually sent. To implement this step, the processor apparatus 20 maymaintain a database of word usage that tracks the frequency of use ofall words that are eligible for inclusion on the most frequently usedwords list (e.g., all words longer than say four characters). Each timea new email is sent (see step 235), the eligible words in that emailmessage are extracted and their use is recorded in the database. Basedon this use, the relative frequencies of all of the words therein may bedetermined/adjusted, and the top (most frequent) predetermined number ofwords is selected for inclusion on the updated most frequently usedwords list. Once updated, the most frequently used words list is storedfor use in step 205 as needed. It will be understood that this is justone particular implementation of updating the most frequently used wordslist and that other implementations are also possible without departingfrom the scope of the present concept.

While specific embodiments of the invention have been described indetail, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that variousmodifications and alternatives to those details could be developed inlight of the overall teachings of the disclosure. For example, theconcept disclosed herein has, for illustrative purposes, been describedin connection with email messages and an email application. It should beappreciated, however, that other types of messages and messagingapplication may be involved, such as, without limitation, SMS, MMS, andinstant messaging. Accordingly, the particular arrangements disclosedare meant to be illustrative only and not limiting as to the scope ofthe invention which is to be given the full breadth of the claimsappended and any and all equivalents thereof.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: receiving a command togenerate a new message in a set of messages, the set of messagescomprising at least one previously received message or previously sentmessage; scanning, using a processor, the set of messages to identify aset of words in the set of messages; generating, from the identified setof words, a first word list of words having a first grammaticalclassification; generating, from the identified set of words, a secondword list of words having a second grammatical classification, whereinthe second grammatical classification is different than the firstgrammatical classification; displaying the first word list and thesecond word list; and receiving an input reflecting a selection of oneor more words from the displayed first word list or the displayed secondword list for inclusion in the new message.
 2. The method of claim 1,further comprising: categorizing the identified set of words.
 3. Themethod of claim 2, further comprising: placing each of the identifiedwords into the set of word lists based on the categorization.
 4. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the first word list is a word listrepresenting nouns and the second word list is a word list representingverbs.
 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining whethereach of the identified words is longer than a predetermined length. 6.The method of claim 1, wherein the new message is a reply message or aforward message.
 7. A handheld apparatus comprising: one or moreprocessors; one or more memories; program code stored on the one or morememories, which, when executed by the one or more processors, causes theapparatus to perform the steps of: receiving a command to generate a newmessage in a set of messages, the set of messages comprising at leastone previously received message or previously sent message; scanning,using a processor, the set of messages to identify a set of words in theset of messages; generating, from the identified set of words, a firstword list of words having a first grammatical classification;generating, from the identified set of words, a second word list ofwords having a second grammatical classification, wherein the secondgrammatical classification is different than the first grammaticalclassification; displaying the first word list and the second word list;and receiving an input reflecting a selection of one or more words fromthe displayed first word list or the displayed second word list forinclusion in the new message.
 8. The handheld apparatus of claim 7,wherein the program code, when executed by the one or more processors,further causes the apparatus to perform the step of: categorizing theidentified set of words.
 9. The handheld apparatus of claim 8, whereinthe program code, when executed by the one or more processors, furthercauses the apparatus to perform the step of: placing each of theidentified words into the set of word lists based on the categorization.10. The handheld apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first word list is aword list representing nouns and the second word list is a word listrepresenting verbs.
 11. The handheld apparatus of claim 7, wherein theprogram code, when executed by the one or more processors, furthercauses the apparatus to perform the step of: determining whether each ofthe identified words is longer than a predetermined length.
 12. Thehandheld apparatus claim 7, wherein the new message is a reply messageor a forward message.